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I know the discussion has occurred on RP before, but it appears that now even those in the Middle East are afraid that WWIII may be on the way. The fear of Shia v Sunni is at an all-time high in the Middle East with fears that Iraq will be split along religious lines & Syria will soon follow.
As the world seems to be doing a repeat of 1914, just in a different area. The powers that be are considering sending 400+ new troops to Iraq & even establishing a new permanent base in the Anbar province.
Discuss
As the world seems to be doing a repeat of 1914, just in a different area. The powers that be are considering sending 400+ new troops to Iraq & even establishing a new permanent base in the Anbar province.
Discuss
Iraq
Islam
Warfare
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 3
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If this comes to pass, who's team do we really want to be on?
Saudi Arabia/ Gulf States makes sense, historically. But their ties to Al Queda and IS are very worrysome.
Iran has been our bugaboo for decades, yet are fighting with us against IS (and for Assad in Syria)and against us in Yemen.
Then there is Israel, a country we actually have a treaty with.
None of them get along, none of them align directly with our interests. Since no one is going to disarm, I have come to the conclusion - sad though it is - that the region needs to be bled for a while. Let the firebrands and crazies kill each other so cooler heads can prevail. Unfortunately, that will be fertile ground to train and radicalize the next generation of terrorists. And the wheel keeps spinning.
So long as we have strategic interists in the area, we can't disengage. Our best bet is to try to influence the outcome to best suit our desired endstate.
Saudi Arabia/ Gulf States makes sense, historically. But their ties to Al Queda and IS are very worrysome.
Iran has been our bugaboo for decades, yet are fighting with us against IS (and for Assad in Syria)and against us in Yemen.
Then there is Israel, a country we actually have a treaty with.
None of them get along, none of them align directly with our interests. Since no one is going to disarm, I have come to the conclusion - sad though it is - that the region needs to be bled for a while. Let the firebrands and crazies kill each other so cooler heads can prevail. Unfortunately, that will be fertile ground to train and radicalize the next generation of terrorists. And the wheel keeps spinning.
So long as we have strategic interists in the area, we can't disengage. Our best bet is to try to influence the outcome to best suit our desired endstate.
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MSgt James Mullis
My feeling is that our current (unwritten) policy is to let them kill each other off with an ultimate goal of working with (or dealing with) the last group standing in the region. The problem is that in the mean time we (i.e. President Obama and his administration) are allowing horrible atrocities to occur (torture, rape, ethnic cleansing, famine, destruction of infrastructure, destruction of historical sites, destruction of libraries and museums). The other problem is that it is similar to burning a field to prevent a forest fire, it can easily get out of control.
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1SG (Join to see)
MSgt James Mullis, I have committed my entire career in Civil Affairs to averting and mitigating the kind of disaster currently unfolding in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Libya. It is deeply troubling to me that so much of my life's work is being undone as we speak.
I have observed that when opposing factions are bent on dominance and are ideologically on opposite ends of the spectrum, that the only way short of complete defeat that the situation gets resolved is for the civilian population to get fed up with the invective and jackassery and throw the bums out. Those countries will have to feel enough pain to rouse a population that has already seen it's share of brutality and barbarism to rise up from it's stupor. I think the odds of that are pretty grim in Yemen and Libya, somewhat better in Iraq and Syria.
The one thing all of these countries have in common is a strong dislike for America.
This is a sectarian war fought with deep resources and plenty of will on both sides. It will not be resolved diplomatically.
I have observed that when opposing factions are bent on dominance and are ideologically on opposite ends of the spectrum, that the only way short of complete defeat that the situation gets resolved is for the civilian population to get fed up with the invective and jackassery and throw the bums out. Those countries will have to feel enough pain to rouse a population that has already seen it's share of brutality and barbarism to rise up from it's stupor. I think the odds of that are pretty grim in Yemen and Libya, somewhat better in Iraq and Syria.
The one thing all of these countries have in common is a strong dislike for America.
This is a sectarian war fought with deep resources and plenty of will on both sides. It will not be resolved diplomatically.
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Let them do what they want and keep that hell on Earth as nasty as they want it.
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